Editor's Blog

Gareth Roberts
13/10/2017

The shipping news

Where to begin with the Seven Seas Explorer? Is it the
portside infinity pool? The penthouse apartments? The signature restaurants?
How about the £50 million worth of fine art hanging on its cabin walls?

No, let’s start with the fact that last week it was moored
up in Southampton for a short stopover awaiting a new influx of silver-haired
seafaring guests. M&IT was lucky enough to be invited on board by Associated
Luxury Hotels International chief of sales Mark Sergot for a head-spinning tour
of what is essentially the most expensive cruise ship ever built.

Try these numbers on for size. The ship cost a staggering £340m
to build and a 10-day cruise can cost between £30,000 and £11,000 depending on
what level of mind-blowing luxury you expect. The construction was so complex
and detailed it took five years to build. This is no 4,000 guest ocean-going
tower block; all cabins are ocean-facing and some have terraces large enough to
hold cocktail parties on.

The attention to detail is extraordinary with special
attention to any cruise ship's most valuable commodity: space. The passageways
and corridors are avenues of carpeted luxury, the spa is spacious and filled
with natural light; it’s also one of the few places, alongside the casino,
where you’ll actually have to pay for anything.

The on-board art collection features works by Picasso,
Rembrandt and Matisse, there’s an original Buddhist prayer-wheel installation
outside an Asian restaurant, it’s so massive and so heavy they had to cut a
hole in the side of the ship to install it, the floors beneath it are
reinforced to accommodate its massive weight.

Everything is bespoke, from the dinnerware (Versace) to the
bar in your cabin (you pre-select what premium booze you’d like it stocked
with. The penthouse cabin has a baby grand Steinway.

The best part is you can charter the whole thing; if you do
they’ll retro-fit to whatever takes your fancy, you’ll just need to give them
18 months’ notice or more realistically five years. It's booked years in advance
but there are huge opportunities for event planners here - the biggest draw is
that everything you could possibly need is on site.

For meetings and events, it’s a dream venue, outstanding
staff and facilities, their tech and AV situation is right up there with the
space shuttle, so you won’t have to worry about that. They’ve had car launches on
board; they once hoisted a smaller luxury yacht on to the main deck for a
launch event. This is a can-do cruise liner that’s exploring the very edges of
known luxury - and long may she sail.